Public Service District board chairman Tom Shipley said he is encouraged that site selection for the project will be finalized this week.

"We're making some good headway here," said Shipley. "We talked about having a meeting on the [February] seventh to get all the latest information. We'll receive the latest updates from Waste Water Management, Inc., including pricing, what permits we have and we don't have. We'll have a discussion and then we will take a two day break and come back on the [February] ninth and we will select which regional project we want to do."

Board members plan to submit their proposal to the West Virginia Public Service Commission a week early in case revisions need to be made.

"Chris [Negley] and Mr. Rigby will take that to the state and they're gonna go over it. If we have issues, we'll have a week to correct it," said Shipley.

Board members and Snowshoe President Frank DeBerry discussed the sewage hauling agreement between the PSD and Snowshoe.

"If the truck breaks down, and we can't do it, we'd lose money like crazy hiring someone from Lewisburg," said newly-elected PSD board secretary David Litsey. "I think we can handle the whole thing by putting in a phrase someplace [in the contract] that says 'to the extent possible with existing equipment and the repair of the equipment, we will perform the services as requested or as outlined, but in the case that our equipment breaks down, it becomes Snowshoe's responsibility."

According to DeBerry, Snowshoe would fix the problem themselves in the event of an equipment malfunction.

"If we had signed this and tomorrow you couldn't pump and haul, we would either try to get our truck up and running and pump it out, or bring in someone else to do it," said DeBerry.

Water plant operator Lloyd Coleman voiced concerns that the board would need approval from the West Virginia Public Service Commission to hire a third-party in the event of a breakdown.

"Our permits don't allow us to take waste from contract haulers. I think the problem is that with a contract hauler, you don't know what's in the truck. It might sound silly, but those are what the regs are. I can't guarantee you we'll get that approved," he said.

PSD board attorney Chris Negley agreed with Coleman.

"They have very lengthy regulations on who can haul sewage in the state," said Negley.

Board members held their annual election of officers. Shipley was re-elected chairman, PSD secretary Amon Tracey stepped down from his position, Litsey was elected to secretary, and Ricky Barkley was re-elected as treasurer.

Board members agreed to use surplus funds from the Bartow-Durbin-Frank water upgrade project to purchase additional equipment for its Durbin water plant, pending approval through Region IV and the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council.
Shipley made a motion to approve the Region IV proposal for the Durbin water project for fencing, a generator, touch water meters, a handheld device for reading meters, and a charging stand for the handheld device.

"I find we do very well with our waterworks. We're in trouble with the sewer, I don't know why. We've spent a lot of money, I know that," said Tracey.

Board members discussed an outstanding bill with Potesta Engineering.

"What I would like to make sure the PSC understands, is regardless of how Potesta submitted its bill, we contracted with Potesta to do that additional work for our information and benefit, unrelated to anything that Rigby was doing because we wanted to find out if it was even worth having him look at that site," said Litsey.

Board members went into executive session later in the meeting to discuss land acquisition. After returning, board members agreed to engage a land appraiser to survey property owned by Harvey Galford and David Curtis, conditional upon their agreement.

Board members again went into executive session to discuss a matter of pending litigation.

The PSD board will meet Thursday, February 9, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Library to vote on the final project site for a wastewater facility at Linwood.

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